Iran using war to cover up executions of political dissidents, activist claims
Iranian activist Sheyda Rahbari has raised alarm over the escalating executions of political dissidents by Iran’s regime, which she labels as terrorist. She highlights mounting pressure exerted on Iranian citizens, who face increasing threats of arrest and execution. Rahbari poignantly points to the execution of an 18-year-old protestor, Amir Hussein Hamedi, as a stark example of the regime’s harsh tactics.
French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were released from Iranian detention on Tuesday, after spending “three and a half years” imprisoned, as announced by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The duo had been apprehended in May 2022, during a visit to Iran, with Iranian state media accusing them of espionage and attempting to incite unrest. France had previously condemned their detention as baseless and unjust, according to Reuters.
“Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and en route to French soil after enduring three and a half years of detention in Iran. This is a relief for all of us, especially their families,” Macron shared on X.
He went on to express gratitude, saying, “Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts, to the State services, and to the citizens who worked tirelessly and contributed to their return.”
A woman is seen walking past posters of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens previously held in Iran, during support rallies outside the National Assembly in Paris on May 7, 2025. The rallies marked their three-year detention and demanded their release. (Photo by Abdul Saboor/Reuters)
The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran described Kohler as the head of a federation of teachers unions in France, with Paris being her partner.
France’s foreign ministry said last May that Kohler and Paris were being detained as “state hostages by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference on July 10, 2025, in London, England. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
“They are being held in shameful conditions and have been able to receive only four consular visits, under very restrictive conditions,” the ministry said at the time.
Iranian authorities freed the pair from prison in November but didn’t let them leave the country, according to The Associated Press.
Noemie Kohler, sister of Cecile Kohler, and Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques Paris, attend a press conference in Paris, France, on June 27, 2025. Both are relatives of French citizens held in Iran. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
French officials said they were then being kept safe at the French Embassy in Tehran, until their departure from Iran on Tuesday.
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